Well today is 12 May 2009 the feast day of Saint Francis of Patrizzi the patron saint of reconciliations. Well I have had a slow long arduous weekend.
To begin, I had a number of overlapping things planned realizing I was never going to make them all or even half. We had the Toronto Comic Arts Festival; we had 22 Division Police Station Open House; we had M & M Meat Markets annual charity Barbecue; we had the Annual Pulp Show; we had the Mississauga Marathon; we had the Science Fair for Adults; we had the opening of the new Star Trek film; we had to get and wait for Mark at Humber College while he did one of his finals on Saturday; we had the popcorn festival in Downsview Parc; we had Mother's Day or Mothering Sunday; we had a shooting down the block; we had thunder and lightning; it was all very frightening! Knock on wood!
So what happened? Suffice it to say on Sunday night I saw the Star Trek film at the Queensway cinema with both my brothers and my father. Nope could not leave Paul out of this. Unfortunately this was not what baby brther Mark had planned. You see he figured Dad picks him up from work and they zoom up to the Woodbine Rainbow cinema and the nearby Burger King on their own. It's cheaper and no meddling brothers. Well I figured he might try that so I rode with Dad to pick Mark up. The night before Paul came by the house with Mary-Anne his wife to drop off some flowers and a $20 gift card for Coles (where he works). I had asked Paul about Wolverine, Davinci sequel, Transformers, GIJoe, Up, and Star Trek. Paul and the Mare-ster basically said simultaneously that Paul was going to go with his brothers to see Star Trek. Good thing we didn't catch advanced passes or a Thursday or Friday screening. So there was that. While Dad and I waited for Mark to change at work I called Paul up at his home and let him know we were on our way to Star Trek and would he like to join us? He said sure and said come by. Problem is Paul doesn't like the Rainbow cinemas. So Paul insisted that we go to the Queensway cinema. Now for those who don't know a ticket at Rainbow Cinemas is $4 for Tuesdays & Matinees and $6 evenings and $8 weekends. Seniors save $2 except Tuesdays and matinees. What's more they put the newest films on the biggest screens with the best projection equipment they have so opening weekends have the best deal around at the Rainbows. The problem is the Queensway cinema is part of the large Cineplex Odeon chain with state of the art stadium seating and all the latest highest quality projection and sound equipemnt not to mention small food and bar kiosks and concessions. The thing is they know they are the big game so they charge $12.50 and $13.50 for tickets. The concessions and food is expensive too and not always the best. Unfortunately when Paul says he wants something his way with this family he usually gets it. I am glad Mary-Anne canput her foot down. So we went to the Queensway cinema. Paul bought his and Dad's ticket forgetting the senior discount or not getting it. Mark paid for mine and his ticket. I paid for Monsters Vs Aliens so he owed me. Anyways Paul and Dad went ahead to get the seats while Mark got something to eat. For himself. Only. Anyways I went to scope out Paul and Dad and couldn't find them in the theatre. So I go to the hallway, pull out the cellular and call up Pops. Seems he is in theatre 2 which is more than half empty. My ticket stub says theatre 18. I say thanks and I'll see him soon. I then find Mark and let him know he gives me his ticket stub and the receipt and I go to exchange them. Just in the nick of time too as mine and Mark's tickets are for the show just starting not the one a half hour away. The jerk who served Dad and Paul didn't give Dad the seniors discount and even though we said we want the exact same thing he gave us the earlier performance. The clerk said are we sure we wanted to change our tickets. Me and the guy behind me in a simular position wanted to slap her upside the head. Of course we wanted the performance we asked for we wouldn't be asking otherwise.
I know their job is to fill seats in theatres but obnoxious stupidity will fray the nerves where time is a factor. Once that was straightened out Mark finished eating (chicken tenders, fries, coke) we headed for the promised theatre. There he and Paul ducked out for Popcorn and more Cokes and glossette raisins. Which was okay while me and Dad snacked on the first bag of Popcorn that he got while waiting for us. I had four handfuls. I didnot want to spoil myself before the film. 710pm the room went dark and we had... commercials. At this point I muttered "Garth Drabinsky Rot in Hell" as Garth is the man who subsidized theatres by having commercials run so our time is wasted with and money spent watching commercials I see on the Telly all the time. After the three coming attractions (Land Of The Lost, GI Joe, Transformers) it was 736pm when the film finally started. Great so we get something like Wolf 365 and the birth of Kirk before the credits start. A fine film definately 4 out of five stars. Maybe 4.5 stars. So that ties up my Sunday night seeing the film, helping some couple find their lost car keys in the theatre, starving to get hiome since I didn't get a drink or anymore popcorn, and had to get Paul home. So that was that. Mum enjoyed a quiet evening listening to the oldtime english radio glad we weren't interfering. That's what she wanted for Mother's day. Quiet time. That's why I bought Swiss Chalet Friday night for the family and went with Dad and Mark for Burger King Saturday Night. So we know how my weekend sort of ended (there is an epilogue).
The weekend started putting my plans and how to get to them on paper. Actually the cover of the Friday Toronto Star newspaper. I had a large list (as already shown) and a limit amount of time and resources to fill it. I had the VCR set up to record the weekends programs and I was going to do the most I could. Then God said "meah". I took Mark up to the College early Saturday morning for his exam. Well I was up and ready at 7 am. Mark decided to sleep in a little and we didn't leave untill after 9am almost 10am. But I got him to the college and he got to the room and sat there. Seems they had already disconnected the network so they moved hime to another room. Computers worked but no burners so they had to write out by hand their computer programming test. He finished after 1pm and was starving so I took him to the Burger King to celebrate and got myself the complete set of Star Trek glasses. Yum form there he flipped a coin and had me drop him off at the Kipling subway so he could go to Pacific Heritage Mall. He really is looking for some rare Imports and probably a bootleg or two. Problem is they were all raided the previous week and were raided again that very day to go with Friday's newspaper articles saying they were raided last February. So he was pissed that he was SOL twice. While he was there I went next door to Kipling Subway across the road passed the closed Westwood cinema to 22 Division Police Headquarters open house. The 22 Division Police Headquarters open house was geared towards kids and parental awareness. It was fun except they were windswept from the thunderstorms earlier in the day. Thankfully I got to do the following besides walking into areas I don't belong and being ignored by the people running things I go to: meet Officer Pat Troll.
meet Elmer The safety Elephant.
blow a breathalyzer test (0.00).
see a neat train set with Go trains.
get to sit in the back seat of a Police Car.
get my legs go charlie horse and cramp up in the backseat of the Police Car.
go through booking.
get to sit in a holding cell.
get to sit on a toilet in a holding cell (thankfully I place serviettes from Wendys down first).
get to try on leg shackles.
get to sit in the front driver's seat of a Police Car.
get to see the normally fenced off snow glacier field next door.
get to see the sandpipers in the normally fenced off snow glacier field next door.
get to have my picture taken with some of that.
So that done I went over to Six Points plaza (hobbled over as my legs never seen to recover from the backseat from the police car) to see the M&m Meat Markets B-B-Que. Except they were shutting down the thunderstorms earlier in the day anow the high winds just kept the crowds away so they were cutting their losses. A shame really because for a toonie you get a burger, a can of cold pop, a bag of chips, and a gift bag and a donation to charity. Anyways that ended that so I went home to get some ointment on my legs. I stripped off and after some coldpacks on my haunches was getting ready to have mum place some Lakota for joint muscle relief when Paul and Mary Anne showed up unannounced. I quickly wrapped myself in a blanket and slowly snuck my shirt and jeans back on to avoid the embarrasment while their backs were turned. This was where Paul made his veiwing pleasures known. So that's why I missed TCAF and the Pulp Show on Saturday. Saturday evening after getting the BK Run with a tasty Veggie Burger and picking Mark up at the Kipling Subway we went home to some quiet games and watch Bruce And Lloyd Out of Control where Agent 99 played by Anne Hathaway literally phoned it in.
If anyone did go to the Pulp show did anyone have :

The Destroyer The Assassin's Handbook 2
The Avenger: Published by Street and Smith
Issue: Title: Auth: Date:
The Avenger: (in Clues Detective) published by Street and Smith
25 Death to the Avenger ET 09/01/42 Unk
26 A Coffin for the Avenger ET 11/01/42 Unk
27 Vengeance on the Avenger ET 01/01/43 Unk
28 Calling Justice Inc. ET 03/01/43 Unk
29 Cargo of Doom ET 05/01/43 Unk
The Avenger: (in The Shadow) published by Street and Smith
30 To Find a Dead Man ET 08/01/44 47/6
Moonstone's The Avenger Chronicle Volume 1
Vampirella by Ron Goulart #2 On Alien Wings
Darkman #1 The Hangman
Darkman #3 The Gods Of Hell
Lee Falk's The Phantom #12 The Vampires And The Witch
Lee Falk's The Phantom #13 The Island Of Dogs
The Lone Ranger by Fran Striker

I haven't seen these in years at the Pulp Show especially since Jamie Fraiser Books closed down.

Moving along. Saturday Night I go to bed right after Bruce and Lloyd Out Of Control ended because my legs still needed the rest. Anyways just down the block as SNL ended a Party in the worst part of my neighbourhood broke out in a shooting. Initial reports had 10 seriously injured in hospital and 5 critical. Well I found this out in the morning when I figured I could get to the Mississauga Marathon then TCAF to see Scott MacCloud, R Stevens, and others. Well screw that how often does violence breakout in my neighbourhood (well too often if you ask me but that's a conversation for another day)? So I dropped Mark off at work letting the parents sleep in and walked down to the scene of the shootings. Oh the police won't say a thing. The area is blocked off and taped off and I am warned not to stray off the sidewalk. I see CP24 arrive and set up the live eye. I give the details from the radio and CP 24 to other passerbys and lookie lous. I hear lots of remarks saying "it's Housing, it's a bad side of the street." Well I have lived in my community in my current place for thirty years and six years in the other hall. I don't drink, I don't do drugs, and I refrain from violence. I don't own a gun and the only knives I own (from X-Mas 2004) can be used to cut a tomatoe (routinely) or a tin can. So why does one unit with 25 people in for a party and five of them from across town that shoot at them ends up blaming the entire community let alone the Toronto Community Housing Corporation? It was neat watching the special investigators placing down little blue pylons and yellow numbered labels. It meant bullet casings and a blood trail. I watch too much CSI with Mum who had a little crush on Gil Grissom. Anyways I took 24 pictures initially then I filled in the Parents then I took down some jackets to Mark at work and as I return instead of thinning out the cops have doubled on the street. Seems people didn't get the hint it was closed off to thorough traffic. I mean the crime scene tape, red pylons, and Police cars blocking the road wasn't clue enough? One officer had to run up to a woman who got out of her car to move a red pylon citing it was in the way of her car. No guff he told her to go the other way and she could not fathom why? I think the way to deal with that is to lambast them with paperwork. Explain it's a crime scene and if they proceed they will not be paid for their time to sit and wait at trial to explain to the judge and jurys why they drove through and disturbed the scene of the crime and what did they witness. Oh and their vehicle will be inpounded as evidence untill after the trial which could be years away if the criminals are found and charged. That would scare anyone off to do the right thing. So I came back and took more pictures and watch as more looky lous came up. I was amazed as a bus shelter filled up with people waiting for a bus. What bus as nothing was coming along the street? Eventually someone said look around and put two and two together. Walk to Rathburn or South to Burnhamthorpe. Actually when it filled up at 1030 am some locals came along and said give you a lift? hmm must not be TCH. I left when the new guy in the area showed to me that Scary Movie was correct. The media flock to the loudest stupidest most arrgoant person in the area. We had the local Esso Gas Station move out over ten years ago and turned in to a toxic field. That field was turned into a mini-strip mall four years ago with a Subway restaurant, a Hasty Market, a Pet food store, a nail salon, some empty retail space, and eventually a Money Mart. Now the Hasty Market used to be open 24 hours and you could access from one side to the other. A year ago they switched to 630am (ussually 7am) to 11pm. This was because after they closed the street door to stop shoplifters, they started getting outright robbed and the men behind the counter got downright insulting. The final latenight came when one gent was stabbed in the eye. Now I know it's gotten to be a tougher neighbourhood when I crossed the bridge to the local Mac's Milk and the guy had locked the door to let the customers one at a time. He did this with a police car parked in the lot front of it. This from years ago they guy behind the counter was afraid to call the cops for something not involving them because someone might retaliate. That was 25 years ago to 5 years ago for the same Mac's Milk store. So the thing that bugs me is the gent from the Hasty market lives in housing and had told people later that it was a cancer in that eye that forced him to walk around with surgical packing over his eye. Thing was when they started interviewing him at the scene of the shooting (well down from it at the playground where kids were playing earlier) he realeased a diatribe against the lazy black somalian criminals and drug gangs. Dude when those gangs get the munchies they come to you at the Hasty Market to fill the need which was why you charge $3 for expired bag of chips they are not walking anywhere else. So calling them names and blaming them for incidents does no one any good. Unless it's the actual people involved with a crime you were personally involved in in some way like you witnessed. Which would explain that all his ditribe was off the news by 2pm when they had a police news conference at 1pm to replace it. Anyways when the news conference was going on on the TV I was making my Mum and Dad a stack of Pancakes for their breakfast. At this point after clean-up I started to put the now 4 dozen photos on the computer and from there to my facebook account. Well sort of. I had to run some e-mails for Dad first then cleaned out my own e-mails then back to Dad's e-mails. Seems someone sent an all points e-mail telling one person to contact Dad because he doesn't check his e-mail. Technically correct, he doesn't check his e-mail. Dad has me check it. Usually twice a day nowadays. So I sent a mass reply for Dad saying I'll check into that later followed by a Winky to show we can take a kidding. Then I had to explain it to Dad. Then someone misinterpretted and replied that they didn't want Dad to tell someone about the meeting but that someone to tell Dad. I sent for Dad a single reply that he knew about that hence why the message ended with a winky. To which the gent again misinterpretted the message because he thought we were insulting him over the idea that he missed or did not know what a Winky was. Then after explaining to Dad a fifth time what a Winky was and showing Mum the McDonald's MacWrap commercial we all had a laugh. I was free to leave on my own at 4pm. Well TCAF was over by then and definately the Mississauga Marathon and most of the Adult Science Fair so what was left beside picking Mark up at 6pm. Rest for the night.
Oh and I caught the cop sleeping on the job outside the scene of the shooting at 3am. But that is another Story that is after the weekend is over.
See you tomorrow,